Phased array antenna panels with large numbers of antennas and front end chips integrated on a single board are being developed in view of higher wireless communication frequencies being used between a satellite transmitter and a wireless receiver, and also more recently in view of higher frequencies used in the evolving 5G wireless communications (5th generation mobile networks or 5th generation wireless systems). Phased array antenna panels are capable of beamforming by phase shifting and amplitude control techniques, and without physically changing direction or orientation of the phased array antenna panels, and without a need for mechanical parts to effect such changes in direction or orientation.
Phased array antenna panels use RF front end chips that directly interface with and collect RF signals from antennas situated adjacent to the RF front end chips. After processing the collected RF signals, the RF front end chips may provide the processed signals to a master chip that is situated relatively far from the RF front end chips. As such, relatively long transmission lines are required to carry the processed signals from the RF front end chips to the master chip. By their nature, transmission lines cause passive energy loss in the signals, especially when the transmission lines employed in the phased array antenna panel are long. Moreover, using a greater number or larger amplifiers in RF front end chips to transmit the processed signals to the master chip would increase the size, complexity, and cost of the numerous RF front end chips that are used in a phased array antenna panel. Thus, there is a need in the art for effective large-scale integration of a phased array antenna panel with reduced passive loss of signals.